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Bar graph comparing the means of priority values for each category of ecosystem services and their standard errors between different agriculture-based land-use systems of Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya. Here, FAS, Farm-based Agroforestry Systems; LCAS, Large Cardamom-based Agroforestry System; TPS, Tea Plantation System; TRC, Terrace Rice Cultivation and mixed farming system
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The process of incorporating the priorities of local communities in developing countries is important in the formulation of effective policies for environmental and natural resource conservation. With this outlook, this study was conducted to assess community priorities and socio-cultural values associated with ecosystem services provided by the so...
Citations
... This result is consistent with other global research where mountain ecosystems have provided essential ES such as food and water for residents (Biber et al 2015, Melnykovych et al 2018, Cuni-Sanchez et al 2019, Orsi et al 2020). Furthermore, it can also be observed that among various PES, PES5 and PES2 have gotten the least attention in Himalayan literature(Murali et al 2017, Rai et al 2020, Saeed et al 2022, Pradhan and Khaling 2023. This may be because locals lack awareness and knowledge about animal resources being ES. ...
The Mountain Ecosystems, such as the Himalayan region, not only provide numerous Ecosystem Services (ESs) to millions of people living in mountainous areas but also provide essential ES to those living downstream. However, there is often an uneven distribution of ES availability and its value across different regions. Therefore, a better understanding of the spatial heterogeneity of ES is required for efficient and sustainable management of ES. This study thoroughly reviews literary data to examine ES’s spatial distribution and economic values across the Western, Central, and Eastern Himalayas. The literature was searched in the Scopus online database using the Boolean method from specific keywords such as ‘Ecosystem Services’ AND ‘Himalayas’. A systematic review of 76 of the most relevant literature sources yielded 31 unique ES divided into three categories: Provisioning (PES), Regulating (RES), and Cultural (CES). The distribution of reviewed literature is relatively balanced across the Himalayas (Western: 30.26%, Central: 32.89%, Eastern: 36.84%); however, the analysis identified a bias towards PES (43.54%), highlighting a need for increased research focus on RES (36.48%) and CES (19.98%). Notably, water-related services such as PES9 (Surface water used as a material (non-drinking purposes)) and PES8 (Surface water for drinking) have been ranked highest in all regions of the Himalayas yet have not been comprehensively studied in terms of their quantification and valuation. Furthermore, while most literature focused on the identification of ES (73.68%), there is a significant lack of attention to quantification (39.47%) and valuation (23.68%) of ES in the region. The average economic values for PES, RES, and CES were 446.75 USD/ha/year, 1128.81 USD/ha/year, and 457.51 USD/ha/year, respectively, indicating higher valuation for RES. This underlines the need for a more balanced research approach that includes identifying and thoroughly quantifying and valuing all types of ES in the Himalayas.
... where I is the land use intensity index; G i is the intensity grade of the (Brill et al., 2022;Pan et al., 2021;Pradhan et al., 2023) C. Deng et al. Ecological Indicators 167 (2024) 112734 ith land use pattern; C i is the ratio of the ith land use pattern to the total; and n is the number of land use patterns (n = 7). ...
... Social values reflect the benefits ecosystems provide to society and human well-being (MEA, 2005;van Riper et al., 2017), leading to experiences and motivations for managing natural resources (Brown and Fagerholm, 2015). Very few evaluation accounts social values in community-based forests such as in Phewa Lake Watershed, Nepal (Paudyal et al., 2018), and Sikkim Himalayas, Darjeeling (Pradhan and Khaling, 2023). Prioritising specific ES lead to trade-offs among services (Howe et al., 2014), while synergies emerge when shared ES are prioritised among stakeholders (Hicks et al., 2013), essential for effective decision-making and optimizing ES outcomes (Crouzat et al., 2016). ...
... Forty-seven articles pertaining to ES in CF and other forest landscapes were identified, covering the local and regional community perspectives and socio-cultural values crucial for understanding and developing effective policies concerning forest landscape restoration, environmental conservation, and natural resource management (Paudyal et al., 2017b;Pradhan and Khaling, 2023). ...
The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) faces various challenges detrimental to critical balance for socio-ecological systems resulting in adversely affecting the flow of ecosystem service (ES). With the context, present evaluation attempted to account a comprehensive understanding about flow of forest ES in community forests and other forests across the HKH for sustainable management of forests. We conducted a systematic literature review to critically analyse and understand the community perception about flow of forest ES and suggest a comprehensive framework for ES assessment through community. The ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases were used, employing the PRISMA, followed by the Rayyan for screening the article between 2010 to July 2023. The exclusion and inclusion criteria resulted in 47 articles. About 61.7% of ES assessment articles focussed to forest ecosystem, while 38.3% focused on community forests. The article accounts bias towards provisioning services (∼42.6%) with skewed geographical distribution to Nepal (∼45%) having favours to social values than economic value of forest ES. Various threats to the HKH forests were also identified jeopardizing the community's well-being. Based on evaluation, a comprehensive indicator-based assessment framework was proposed for comprehensive assessment of ES for sustainable management of community and forests. Precisely, identification of threats and integration of trade-offs and synergies in policies along with participatory approach of management i.e. community and government hand holding may contribute to conserve the forests in the HKH along with ensuring sustainable supply of ES to communities.
... Ecosystems are part of life-support systems and provide goods and services with quantifiable value (Cowx and Portocarrero Aya 2011;Elmqvist et al. 2012). While ecosystems are critical for their biophysical value and functions, recent studies additionally indicate the existing links between biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being (Cardinale et al. 2012;Sandifer et al. 2015;Ament et al. 2017;Pradhan and Khaling 2023), and healthy ecosystems have a significant role to play in this context (Costanza et al. 2022). Evaluating the status of the ecosystems is of serious consideration for a country as populous and biodiverse as India, considering ecosystem health assessment using RLE is a headline indicator for target A of GBF and will be required to mainstream in upcoming National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) produced by the country. ...
With the recently adopted Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the significance of ecosystem health and the need for increasing the protected area/other effective area-based conservation measures (OECM) coverage has been reiterated. Ecosystem health assessment or Red Listing of Ecosystems is the headline indicator for target A of GBF. The indicators listed in the IUCN Red Listing of Ecosystems (RLE) have been adopted to monitor the important targets under the Global Biodiversity Framework. Globally, 4279 ecosystems have been assessed using IUCN RLE, and immense potential exists to study the indicators to monitor and classify the health of Indian ecosystems, especially high conservation-value ecosystems. The work presented here synthesises the analyses of the pertinent current global trends in this domain to plan a suitable decentralised approach for assessing ecosystems in India that will be required to be included in the upcoming National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAPs) as per GBF.
... In the present framework environmental space, such as forest, provides services to the social systems according to their requirements and needs, emphasising forest conservation. Locals apply their socio-cultural values (Dorji et al., 2019;Pradhan and Khaling, 2023) and TEK to manage nearby forests through various means such as declaring the location as a sacred, deity place. These values are individual experiences with respect of forest contribution leading to innate motivations to have belongingness, and safeguard natural resources (Paudyal et al., 2018, Tandarić et al., 2022. ...
... The effectiveness of existing local regulations in forest protection, tourism benefits for the forest and potential commercial uses of forest products such as NTFPs and medicinal plants were also discussed. Descriptions of all the listed CESs were recorded and subsequently compiled to determine their community values (Dorji et al., 2019;Pradhan and Khaling, 2023). For drawing the information about preventive measures, the participants were asked to share ideas on management measures that could be taken to improve the provision of forest ESs in the future (Wangchuk et al., 2021) besides also accounting the perceived threats to VPs communities (Pradhan and Khaling, 2023). ...
... Descriptions of all the listed CESs were recorded and subsequently compiled to determine their community values (Dorji et al., 2019;Pradhan and Khaling, 2023). For drawing the information about preventive measures, the participants were asked to share ideas on management measures that could be taken to improve the provision of forest ESs in the future (Wangchuk et al., 2021) besides also accounting the perceived threats to VPs communities (Pradhan and Khaling, 2023). ...
Cultural ecosystem services (CES) of community forests (CFs) contribute to human welfare. However, limited information is available about the relationship between traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and households' attributes with CES. The present study evaluates the relationship between TEK and socio-cultural values of households with CESs across community forests (CFs), specifically Van Panchayats (VPs), in the western Hi-malayan region, India. The perceived relevance of six CESs attributes (Intellectual, Inspirational, Cultural, Recreational, Spiritual and Aesthetic) was collected from 104 randomly selected households, followed by eight focused group discussions (8 FGDs) and ten Key Informant Interviews (10 KIs) in VPs of two different forest types (Himalayan Moist Temperate Forest, HMTF, and SubTropical Pine Forest, STPF). The Garret ranking analysis reveals that local communities in the HMTF valued cultural attributes, such as folk and nature rituals, and pristine essence and serenity of aesthetic attributes as the most important CESs. However, the communities in the SPTF valued Recreational attributes, such as Ecotourism, and intellectual attributes, such as VPs management meetings more highly. Out-migration, forest degradation and human-wildlife conflict were identified as major threats to the socio-ecological systems and were adversely affecting the CESs, particularly aesthetic, sense of belongingness, and community harmony. The Kruskal-Wallis's test showed a significant influence (p < 0.005) of socio-demographic variables on the prioritization of perceived CES. The research underscores the importance of acknowledging and appreciating the cultural services of the local communities. This recognition of CES is crucial for enhancing and refining the forest management for achieving conservation and sustainable development of forests.
... Eastern Himalaya possesses numerous traditional agricultural systems, all of which are strongly linked to the proper management of the forests around them (Sharma and Rai 2012;Dollo et al. 2009). Further, the local communities here are known to utilize their traditional knowledge to restore degraded lands and put them into more productive and sustainable uses, thus sustainably managing its forests overtime (Pulamte 2009;Pradhan and Khaling 2023). As a result of which, the socio-ecological landscapes of Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, are characterized by interspersed patches of forests which are either managed by the local community (as in case of private agroforests), private companies (as in case of tea gardens in Darjeeling), or the government (as in case of khasmal forests, and tea garden forest in Sikkim), and fall outside the regime of protected areas and reserve forests. ...
... The decisions regarding forest management are made by the respective land owners. However, this is a traditional approach to forest management in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, where the respective landowners are known to actively manage these forest patches surrounding cultivated areas for deriving important ecosystem services like freshwater, fuelwood, timber, fodder, wild edibles, etc. (Pradhan and Khaling 2023). Economically important trees here include Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Cryptomeria japonica, Michelia spp., Magnolia spp., Castanopsis spp., Quercus spp., Terminalia spp., etc. ...
... In the current study, Lauraceae (21 species), followed by Moraceae (19 species) had the highest number of species, probably because species of these families have multipurpose values, and are therefore actively conserved and managed by the local communities for the services they provide, as highlighted by a recent study from the same landscape (Pradhan and Khaling 2023). This result is in line with that reported from agroforests of Meghalaya, India (Tynsong and Tiwari 2011). ...
... The ecosystem services (ESs) concept has become a continuous and growing attraction for scientists in recent years (Xiang et al., 2022). ESs mainly include productive, regulatory, cultural, and support services that directly affect human well-being (Pradhan and Khaling, 2023). Approximately two-thirds of these services have been lost due to reasons such as land use change, climate change and rapid population increases over the last century. ...
... Eastern Himalaya possesses numerous traditional agricultural systems, all of which are strongly linked to the proper management of the forests around them (Sharma and Rai 2012;Dollo et al. 2009). Further, the local communities here are known to utilize their traditional knowledge to restore degraded lands and put them into more productive and sustainable uses, thus sustainably managing its forests overtime (Pulamte 2009;Pradhan and Khaling 2023). As a result of which, the socio-ecological landscapes of Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, are characterized by interspersed patches of forests which are either managed by the local community (as in case of private agroforests), private companies (as in case of tea gardens in Darjeeling), or the government (as in case of khasmal forests, and tea garden forest in Sikkim), and fall outside the regime of protected areas and reserve forests. ...
... The decisions regarding forest management are made by the respective land owners. However, this is a traditional approach to forest management in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, where the respective landowners are known to actively manage these forest patches surrounding cultivated areas for deriving important ecosystem services like freshwater, fuelwood, timber, fodder, wild edibles, etc. (Pradhan and Khaling 2023). Economically important trees here include Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Cryptomeria japonica, Michelia spp., Magnolia spp., Castanopsis spp., Quercus spp., Terminalia spp., etc. ...
... In the current study, Lauraceae (21 species), followed by Moraceae (19 species) had the highest number of species, probably because species of these families have multipurpose values, and are therefore actively conserved and managed by the local communities for the services they provide, as highlighted by a recent study from the same landscape (Pradhan and Khaling 2023). This result is in line with that reported from agroforests of Meghalaya, India (Tynsong and Tiwari 2011). ...
In the socio-ecological landscapes of tropical mountains, including the highly diverse Eastern Himalaya, fragments of natural forests have been traditionally managed as part of different agriculture systems. Recent studies have recognized their role as important biodiversity repositories outside protected areas. However, basic information on forest structure and composition of these forests outside protected areas is still limited in the Himalaya. In the current study, diversity, structure, composition , and regeneration status of non-protected forests were studied across 15 spatially different sites in the socio-ecological landscapes of Darjeeling-Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya, across an approximate elevation range of 500-2300 m above sea level. Quadrats (20 m × 5 m) were used to enumerate woody species in the study area. Enumeration of 156 quadrats (= 1.56 ha) resulted in a total of 249 woody species, of which species such as Schima wallichii, Alnus nepalensis, and Engelhardtia spicata were found to dominate the existing stand of trees. The vegetation structure of these forests was found to be almost comparable with that of protected forests, as assessed by prior studies in the same landscape. Species composition of woody plants in the study area were found to be primarily influenced by elevation. Assessment of regeneration patterns found the forests to have a high regeneration potential, however, the most dominant tree species of the area had relatively fewer saplings, indicating probable replacement of localized species of large trees by disturbance-adapted species. The current study adds to the literature on the structure and composition of non-protected forests in the tropical mountains.
... Thus, several notable gaps could be found after a review of the previous literature. Firstly, most studies assessed the ecosystem services, landslide susceptibility and landslide risk assessment in Darjeeling Himalayan region (Pradhan & Khaling, 2023;Pramanik, 2016;Sandhu & Sandhu, 2014). Secondly, the Darjeeling Himalayan region consists 4 municipalities, but most of the studies run over the entire Darjeeling district, study over a micro area of this hilly region remains limited (Pramanik, 2016;. ...
... Secondly, the Darjeeling Himalayan region consists 4 municipalities, but most of the studies run over the entire Darjeeling district, study over a micro area of this hilly region remains limited (Pramanik, 2016;. Thirdly, in the Darjeeling Himalayan region, minimal research studies were focused on assessing the perspective of ecosystem services (Pradhan & Khaling, 2023;Sandhu & Sandhu, 2014), livelihood assessment (Ganguli & Bhattacharya, 2020; Jairu & Acharya, 2020), landslide risk assessment (Kanungo et al., 2008; Saha, Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved. ...
The mountain ecosystems are important sources of food production and play a significant role in climate and water regulation, carbon sequestrations, and habitat provisions. However, mountain ecosystems have recently been highly threatened due to land use, land cover (LULC), and climate changes. The Darjeeling Himalayan region is well-known as a biodiversity hotspot and ecologically rich area. However, this region has undergone severe threats due to uncontrolled anthropogenic activities and urbanisation. This study aims to assess the spatiotemporal pattern of ecosystem health (EH) at the neighbourhood level from 2001 to 2021 using a pressure-state-response (PSR) framework in a mountainous city in Darjeeling Himalaya. A total of 10 parameters were selected to assess EH, and the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) method has been used to assign the weight of the parameters. The results showed that (a) from 2001 to 2021, the built-up area increased by about 71%, and the vegetation area decreased by 54% (b) 9.38% (3 wards) of the wards fell under the very unhealthy category. However, it increased to 18.75% (6 wards) in 2021, while the number of wards in very healthy category decreased dramatically from 15.63% (5 wards) in 2001 to 9.38% (3 wards) in 2021 (c) very poor and poor EH conditions characterised the wards located in central parts of the city. Thus, the study provides significant findings to understand the spatial pattern of EH conditions and implement strategies to sustain ecosystems.
... In the initial stages of the study, information on different local institutions (like village council, clubs, committees, and local NGOs) actively working in the region were collected to identify key informants and organize inception cum awareness workshops in different villages (n = 22), prior to data collection. These workshops were organized as community consultations with a purpose to discuss the key components of the study, and also to seek coordination and partnership with interested groups and local institutions (as done by Pradhan & Khaling 2023). These partners were then approached in the later part of the project to organize CS outreach events in the landscape. ...
The availability of information on the distribution and occurrence of diferent species in a landscape is crucial to developing an informed conservation and management plan, however such information in the Himalaya is often limited. Citizen science, which builds on
the knowledge and interest of community to contribute to science, can be a solution to this problem. In this study, we used butterflies as a model taxon in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya which shows how citizen science can aid in documenting biodiversity. The study
employed both citizen science, and researcher-survey approaches to collect data, and the collective efort resulted in 407 species, which is the highest by any study carried out in the region. Results show that citizen science can be helpful as a supplementary tool for data collection in biodiversity documentation projects, and can aid in adding to the diversity and distribution records of species, including those that are unique, rare, seasonal, and nationally protected. Citizen science outreach was used to muster potential participants from the local community to participate in the study. Thus, it is advisable for citizen science projects to find means to recruit a larger pool of contributors, and citizen science outreach can be key to their success.
